Explore the most popular nature trips trails in Prince William Forest Park with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you.

A nice afternoon hike that is just a short distance from DC. If you have time, the Shenandoahs are only 90 minutes away and so much better, but sometimes you only have an afternoon or just cannot get to the Shenandoahs. This hike is a great close in one in DC with good streams and more solitude than you would expect.

The loop is decent. Not much variety in the scenery, but the pets along the creek are nice. Bathroom stop along the way is a plus. Trail was relatively empty on a gray weekend day, which is nice if that's what you're looking for.

I loved this trail and will be going back. Despite this National Park being almost in my backyard, I have never been here before and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

One thing you should know is that the Prince William Forest Park has a lot of trails in it. Korie (below) is right - it's really a series of trails that make up the Pyrite Mine Trail Loop. The trails are well maintained and are a mix of flats and moderate hills. Trail markers are a combination of typical color markings on trees and at trail intersections there are [sometimes] easy to read indications as to which direction to go on. It's easy to get turned around and on the wrong trail so I would highly recommend stopping at the visitor center and getting one of the good trail maps they have.

The Pyrite Mine placards were very informative and reveal quite a bit of history about the area that I was completely ignorant of. It was fascinating to see a new forest grown over what had been an environmental blight. But the mine served its purpose and with help from mankind the forest has reclaimed the area.

The Visitor Center was great and there are some excellent displays of local wildlife, a relief map (which was very cool) and some supplies and t-shirts and such to buy. The Ranger we met there was super-informed, very friendly and really seemed to know what she was doing.

BTW - if you're interested in orienteering, there's an orienteering kit you can get at the Visitor Center and a log-book so you can record your tracks.

I would definitely recommend this and will be going back again. Great trails.

Not terribly easy. The markings for the trails are very far apart and I ended up on a different trail than I started. It took a while to get back to parking (but that's my fault) and there aren't maps anywhere besides at the incredibly crowded visitors center. Get there early to avoid boy/Cub Scout retreats.

It not a easy trail.. I get lost end up walk the last little bit on the road... but walk most of the time walk near the river/creek and very peaceful.. I will be doing it again hop I can find the full loop.. it right behind the bathroom on turkey run road it yellow to orange to white blaze..

It is a fun trail, not very strenuous, and runs along the South Fork of Quantico Creek for long stretches. There are numerous different loops, longer or shorter that can be made with the various trails in the park. Great park for the closeness to D.C. **Check the Prince William Forest Park map of trails from the park -- the map here is Not correct**

Two important things to know about this trail: 1. It is within a National Park (Prince William Forest Park) and includes a $7 fee per car, and 2. There is no actual Pyrite Mine Trail Loop. PMTL is a cluster of trails , which grouped together, make up this loop. They call this larger loop made up of trails, PMTL to honor the former mine that was shutdown in the 20s and underwent natural restoration by FDR. There are a number of sites along the trail providing history and certain aspects about the former mine. Make sure to go to the info center to have the park rangers highlight the trails/loop that make-up PMTL. Also, be sure to take a map with you. The paint markings on the trees are for the most part helpful to guide the way; however, there are a few confusing patches where trees don't have markers, and we found the map to be a bit of a lifeline for navigation.The loop itself is delightful. It is entirely covered by a canopy of trees. The forest is lush and green. This is a moderate trail with a number of challenging patches, but completely doable. So far, this has been the best hike we have done. I recommend it to those looking for a bit of a challenge (not major) and who love dogs (tons of people bring their pups out on a hike or run.)

It's actually not a loop but joins up to a few trails and a couple of roads. We did it as part of a big loop, approx 8.5 miles. We parked at Lot A, went up Turkey Run Ridge Trail, joined up with Old Black Top Rd at the TREC, then turned left at High Meadows Trail and took that south to South Vally Trail, turned left and back to Parking lot A for a total of approx 8.5 miles.

We did this trail today, it's actually three trails joined together. We started by parking at Parking lot A and we headed up Turkey Run Ridge Trail. It meets up with Old Black Top Rd. after the TREC. Then the next trail is on the left and it's called High Meadows Trail. It heads south over the Scenic Drive Rd to meet up with the South Vally Trail. Make a left and it heads all the way back to parking lot A. I tracked the whole thing with my Fitbit app and it was over 8 miles total. There are some hilly areas, lots of rocks and roots but it is an easy hike and some of it runs along beside the creek.